Fiat 500e 3+1 42 kWh

Overview

The 2025 Fiat 500e 3+1 42 kWh is a cracking little electric city car, blending iconic Italian style with zero-emission motoring and a clever extra door for improved rear access. It’s positioned as a premium, fashion-conscious choice in the small EV segment. This specific trim, with its unique passenger-side reverse-opening 'magic door', offers a distinctive twist on urban mobility. In Europe, expect new prices around €39,490, with used examples fetching approximately €18,500. It’s all about zipping through town with bags of character and a green conscience.

What's New for 2025?

For the 2025 model year, the Fiat 500e 3+1 42 kWh continues to charm with its established package of style, efficiency, and that unique extra door. While major overhauls aren't on the cards, Fiat focuses on refining the ownership experience with potential software updates for the Uconnect infotainment system, enhancing connectivity and usability. The core offering – its chic design, practical 42 kWh battery, and distinctive 3+1 door configuration – remains central to its appeal, solidifying its place as a stylish urban EV favoured in the European market.

Design & Exterior

Properly stylish, the 500e 3+1 42 kWh retains the beloved retro-modern aesthetic of its predecessors but with a futuristic EV twist. Its smooth lines, signature round LED headlights, and flush door handles give it a sleek, contemporary look. The standout feature for this trim is the small, pillarless, rear-hinged door on the passenger side, making kerbside rear seat access a doddle. Key dimensions are a compact 3631 mm in length, 1683 mm in width (excluding mirrors), and 1529 mm in height, making it perfect for navigating tight city streets and parking spots.

Interior, Tech & Cargo

Inside, the 500e 3+1 42 kWh boasts a surprisingly premium and minimalist cabin, often featuring eco-friendly materials. It’s a cosy 4-seater, with the extra small door really helping passengers hop into the back. For your bits and bobs, there's 185 litres of boot space, expanding to a useful 550 litres with the rear seats folded down, though unfortunately, there's no frunk. Tech-wise, you'll likely find Fiat’s excellent Uconnect 5 system on a crisp 10.25-inch touchscreen, complete with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a neat digital driver display.

Performance & Driving Experience

This city slicker is delightfully nippy! The Fiat 500e 3+1, with its 87 kW Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor, delivers a punchy 220 Nm of torque to the front wheels (FWD). Acceleration from 0-100 km/h takes a respectable 9 seconds, making it eager off the line – perfect for urban cut-and-thrust driving. The driving experience is agile and fun, with a comfortable ride for a small car. Expect selectable driving modes including a 'Sherpa' mode for max range, and effective regenerative braking, often allowing for one-pedal driving.

Range, Battery & Charging

Powered by a 37.3 kWh usable battery (42 kWh nominal), Green Cars Compare calculates a real-world range of around 271 km for the 500e 3+1, which is plenty for city life and then some. Energy consumption is a frugal 7.27 km/kWh. For charging, it’s equipped with a CCS Type 2 port. At home or work, the standard 11 kW AC on-board charger can top it up in around 4 hours. Out and about, it supports DC fast charging at up to 85 kW, meaning you can zap it from 0-80% in roughly 35 minutes.

Safety & Driver-Assistance Features

The Fiat 500e earned a solid 4-star rating from Euro NCAP. For the 3+1 42 kWh trim, you can expect a decent suite of standard driver-assistance systems. This typically includes Autonomous Emergency Braking to help prevent shunts, Lane Keep Assist to stop you wandering, Traffic Sign Recognition, and Drowsy Driver Detection. Depending on the specific pack or market, features like Adaptive Cruise Control and Blind Spot Monitoring might be available, further boosting confidence on busy European roads.

Warranty & Maintenance Coverage

In Europe, the Fiat 500e 3+1 typically comes with a 2-year, unlimited mileage basic vehicle warranty, though some markets may offer extensions. Crucially, the high-voltage battery is covered for 8 years or 160,000 km, guaranteeing at least 70% of its original capacity. Powertrain components often align with the battery warranty. Being electric, maintenance is generally lower than petrol counterparts, focusing on tyres, brakes, and coolant. Reliability of the EV components has proven to be good, making for a hassle-free ownership experience.